Two persons have reportedly been detained in the Cachar region of Assam in relation to the collapse of the Barak river embankment, which caused a devastating flood in Silchar. The individuals who have been detained have been identified as Mithu Hussain Laskar and Kabul Khan.

Khan was taken into custody on Friday night, whereas Laskar was captured on Saturday. Their arrest was confirmed by Ramandeep Kaur, the Cachar police superintendent. She said that the matter was still being looked into by the police.

The Water Resources Department reported unidentified miscreants to the police on May 24 after they broke down an embankment at Bethukandi, some 3 kilometres outside of the town centre, to let rainfall from a marsh spill into the Barak river.

Himanta Biswa Sarma, the chief minister of Assam, has previously declared that the flood was a man-made disaster and that those guilty would face severe punishment. Six people have been named as the perpetrators of the embankment collapse that resulted in a fatal flood in Silchar town, according to Sarma’s statement on Friday.

When the Chief Minister visited the Cachar district embankment site, it appears that Kabul Khan recorded a video of the rupture and displayed it to the villagers. In the video, Sarma is heard asking viewers to name the speakers.

“The Bethukandi incident has taught us a valuable lesson. We must station police officers near the embankment so that nobody can breach it during the next flood. CID has been questioning about the Bethukandi breach to register a case in Guwahati. Now, the Silchar flood case will be filed in Guwahati, where suspects would also be questioned and where all investigations will be conducted, according to CM Himanta Biswa Sarma.

The death toll from Assam’s flood catastrophe increased to 173 on Friday, with 29.70 lakh people affected across 30 districts and 14 more fatalities. The severely damaged Silchar town in the Cachar district is still under water in many places. During a recent visit, the Chief Minister gave a check for Rs 4 lakh to each of the families of the ten victims of the Silchar disaster.

DISCLAIMER: The author is solely responsible for the views expressed in this article. The author carries the responsibility for citing and/or licensing of images utilized within the text.